The Effects of Motor Imagery on Pain in Lower Limb Sports Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This review evaluated the efficacy of Motor Imagery intervention in athletes with lower limb sports injuries that could affect their pain levels during rehabilitation. We carried out a thorough research of the scientific literature for RCT studies in athletes with lower limb musculoskeletal sports injuries including search terms Motor Imagery AND pain, Motor Imagery AND sport injuries, Motor Imagery AND lower limb. We searched 3 major databases, PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect, with the search period ranging from their inception until May 2022. We assessed the quality of the studies using the PEDro Scale and the data was recorded and extracted with the use of Mendeley software. The search criteria resulted in a pool of 10.107 possible articles. Upon completion of the selection procedure, only 3 RCT studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 60 injured athletes (n = 18 with ankle sprain and n = 42 with ACL injuries). The meta-analysis showed no statistically significant positive effects of MI intervention on pain intensity after lower limb sports injuries (n = 60; MD = −1.57; 95% CI: −3.60 to 0.46; I2 = 50%; p = 0.13). The limited number of studies could justify the statistically insignificant effect of MI, but although the methodological quality of the studies was moderate to high, the heterogeneity of them was also relatively high. More RCT’s are required to explore the effect of MI on pain in athletes with lower limb injuries in order to address psychophysiological processes during rehabilitation.

Motor imagery in upper limb post-stroke rehabilitation: a narrative review

“…O treino mental através da imagética motora (IM), amplamente estudado e aplicado em áreas como o desporto e a psicologia, trouxe uma nova visão aos limites da neuroreabilitação e à prática clínica destas profissões (Plakoutsis et al, 2022). O conceito de treino mental através da IM engloba a melhoria de competências motoras através de práticas mentais, sem a necessidade de realizar a ação fisicamente.…”

“…Mental training through Motor Imagery (MI), widely studied and applied in areas such as sport and psychology, has brought a new perspective to the limits of neurorehabilitation and to the clinical practice of these professions (Plakoutsis et al, 2022). The concept of mental training through MI encompasses the improvement of motor skills through mental practices, without the need to physically perform the action.…”

Differences in motor imagery abilities in active and sedentary individuals: new insights from backward-walking imagination

“…MI's features enable it to be of value in accelerating procedural learning and recovering motor skills after injuries (Plakoutsis et al, 2022 ; Ruffino et al, 2017 ). Thus, MI has been studied extensively in sport psychology since it represents a potentially effective method to promote specific performances in athletes (Fourkas et al, 2008 ; Louis et al, 2012 ; Wakefield & Smith, 2012 ).…”